.
- Dwayne Johnson is just a bad guy.
He always has been.
And when someone tries to kill you,
you don't forget.
And you don't want that person in the White House.
- Wait, so you do know this guy?
- We met briefly in Hawaii.
- Did you really try and kill him?
- No. Come on, of course not.
- Well, so who is he? What happened?
- You know when you're on top, somebody will come along
and try to knock you down a peg?
- Oh, yes. [chuckles]
- In 1984, my dad, Rocky Johnson,
and his tag team partner Tony Atlas
had just won the WWE Tag Team titles
and we were all riding high.
[upbeat disco music] My dad was making more money
than he'd ever made in his life.
And one of the first things he did was call the guy
all the wrestlers got their jewelry from,
legendary heel manager,
Classy Freddie Blassie.
- The finest Israeli diamonds in Hawaii.
♪
- ♪ Tonight
- And one of the first things I did was go on
a shopping spree at Toys "R" Us.
Vince McMahon had made my dad a star,
and he wasn't only making our lives better,
he had my grandmother's back
as she dealt with federal charges for an incident
involving rival promoter Greg Yao.
- It's a screw job, Vince.
- Whatever we can do to support you, Lia,
just let me know.
These feds, they don't understand
the ways of our business.
- You know they're listening to this call right now.
- No way. They'd have to get their heads
out of their asses first.
[both laugh]
- Good. [laughs]
- Vince was always true to his word
and continued to allow some of his guys
to work for my grandmother,
which was crucial to her business.
His WWF stars wrestled on her weekly show,
which aired on TV in Hawaii every Saturday.
- Mr. Fuji throws salt on King Tonga's eyes!
That's gotta sting!
Wait a minute, Jake's pointing at his bag.
What's in the bag?
Oh, my God, it's Desdemona!
Jake places his snake, Desdemona,
on a knocked-out Slaughter's chest,
adding insult to injury.
[bell dings]
Rocky with the elbow to Sheik.
And George "The Animal" Steele is going wild.
Rocky dives for the tag.
Tony Atlas is coming in like a house on fire.
- [crowd chanting] Tony! Tony! Tony! Tony!
- He body-presses Sheik! What a specimen!
- One, two, three.
- The Soul Patrol has done it again.
- Ooh! - Yeah! Go Dad!
Wait, these aren't potato ridges.
- They're Ruffles, baby.
Only name brand for us now.
both: Whoo! - Wow!
Things were great.
We were living in a nice apartment
eating name-brand snacks.
And the clothes...
♪
- ♪ Tonight
♪ Ooh
- I felt pretty damn cool
being the son of a WWF champ.
- Hey, how much can your dad bench?
- I don't know, but it's a lot.
One time, I saw him pick up a refrigerator.
- Whoa. - Whoa.
- I saw Rocky pull a knife on a bunch of kids
who had stolen Dewey's boogie board.
all: Whoa.
[school bell rings] - And then my dad grabs Steele
by his back hair. all: Whoa.
- So Sheik jumps in.
Then my dad starts pummeling Sheik.
My dad tags in Tony who pins Sheik and the announcers go,
"The Soul Patrol has done it again!"
all: Whoa.
- Sorry.
Julien here. New kid.
My family just moved in from St. Paul, Minnesota.
[tense musical sting]
- Oh, my God. - That's him.
- Julien. - That's him.
And he came out of the gates swingin'.
- How do we know that Rocky Johnson is really your dad?
- What? - I'm just saying.
Have any of you ever seen Rocky?
[kids whispering] - Yeah.
- Sebi, you just said you saw my dad
pull a knife on some bullies.
- Well, now that I think about it,
it could have just been a supportive man you were with.
- Has your dad ever dropped you off at school?
- No, 'cause I take the bus.
- That's weird. Son of a champ takes the bus.
Just saying.
- No one had ever challenged me like that,
and it got to me.
- So the Rainbow Warriors certainly have their work
cut out for them.
- Coming up on "Terry and the Chief,"
Lia Maivia, in-studio live.
Lia, the whole island is buzzing
about the live wrestling event you're putting on next month.
- Can you give us any details?
- Of course, Terry.
The Backyard Brawl-B-Q will be held at Aloha Stadium
with the biggest stars in the business:
André the Giant, Soul Patrol, Ric Flair,
Roddy Piper, Jake "The Snake."
Oh, and so many more--
- Mrs. Maivia, you can't be here.
Again, you are under house arrest.
- How did you find me? - You're on the radio.
Let's go. - But this is for my business.
- You're about to go on trial for racketeering
and extortion charges against Greg Yao.
You're not to conduct business of any kind.
- Fine, I'll call my white lawyer
and see what he says about that.
- Yes. Great.
I very much encourage you to do so.
- Good. I will.
Tickets are going fast. Call 808--
- Mrs. Maivia!
- 157-8922!
.
- The FBI can be ruthless, as I know from researching
the role of Elliot Ness,
which I didn't wind up getting because the casting director
was playing mind games. - Mm.
So you know then. - Mm-hmm.
- You know, like I was saying, when you're on top
like my grandmother was, people come for you, man.
- Hmm. - When she was getting ready
for her court case, my dad and Tony,
well, they were really embracing
the perks of being champs.
- The number one rule is no matter what,
under any circumstances, never, ever
feed them after midnight. Yeah.
- Hey, nice necklace, Rock.
What is that, a bronze coyote?
- Oh, no, brother. It's a golden lion.
- Yes, it is. [chuckles]
You live your life, brother. I just got myself a waterbed.
- Hey, I heard that's like sleeping in the ocean.
- I wouldn't know. See, I don't go near the ocean.
But I do mess with a waterbed.
The guy even gave me a champion's discount.
King Titan's Luxury Goods, they'll hook you up.
[laughter] - André.
all: Hey.
- Hey, good to see you.
- Pat Patterson.
[dramatic beats]
- Ah, Rocky.
Guess who was just talking about you?
- Who? - Nobody!
[laughter]
- "Nobody!" [both laugh]
Ah, Pat loved that joke.
You know, he was tag team partners with my grandfather,
High Chief Peter Maivia.
And Pat was the first openly gay wrestler.
And at that time in pro wrestling, it wasn't easy.
They would mess with him and talk behind his back.
[laughter] - Look at his jacket.
- So my grandfather went up to Pat
in a crowded locker room...
- Good luck tonight, Pat.
- That was my grandfather's way of saying,
"If you mess with Pat, then you mess with me."
- Mm-hmm.
- No one wanted to mess with the High Chief.
He was the baddest dude in the room.
[all chattering]
- Bobby.
- I have an important announcement from Lia.
- Testing, testing. One, two, three.
Bob, are you recording?
- Yes. - Good.
Hello. I wish I could be with you in person today,
but my white lawyer has said
I can't conduct any wrestling business.
I will sort this out, but until then,
I won't be able to run any meetings.
And I'll be in touch soon. How do I turn--
- Uh, these used pancakes
are from the gentleman in the corner booth.
[tense music]
- Enjoy the leftovers, boys.
Didn't want them to go to waste.
- Greg Yao. What are you doing here?
- I've been up for three days celebrating.
[laughs]
Celebrating.
Wait, what was I celebrating again?
- You know what, you wouldn't have the balls
to show up in this diner if Lia were here.
- Well, she's not here. But I am.
With Jessica and Kristen. [laughs]
- It--it's Kir-sten.
- I'm never gonna remember that, baby.
Wait, celebrating your family's demise!
That's what I was gonna say.
That's what I've been up for three days doing.
[laughing]
- While my grandmother had her hands full with Greg Yao,
I was dealing with my own problem.
[waterbed sloshing] Dad, can you sign this for me?
- Sure.
- What's that for? - There's a kid at school
who doesn't believe that Dad is my dad.
- What? Of course I'm your dad.
- I know, but he doesn't believe me.
- Oh, honey, don't let that kid bother you.
- But get used to it.
You see, I'm on top, which means you're on top.
Naturally, people are gonna wanna challenge you.
Here, hand it over like this.
So they can see the family resemblance.
- [laughs] - Hi.
How you folks doing? Anything catch your eye so far?
- Yes, uh-- [clears throat]
We are interested in a waterbed.
My tag team partner, Tony Atlas,
said he got one here.
- Rocky Johnson.
Wow, I'm a huge "Soul Patrol" fan.
- Oh, thank you. - That last match was awesome.
When Tony press-slammed the Sheik.
[laughs] - Yeah.
But I kind of roughed Sheik up before that.
Set Tony up. - Yeah. Ingrid?
Let's get a "Champion's Discount"
for Mr. Atlas' partner here.
- Okay. I love Tony Atlas.
[bell rings]
- Yo, Julien, you want proof that Rocky Johnson's my dad?
Here.
- That's a cute photo that you could've gotten
at a meet-and-greet.
You see, I also have a signed photo
with me and Rocky.
[kids oohing] - Does this mean he's my dad?
No.
I also have one with me and Johnny Carson.
kids: Whoa!
- Also not my dad.
[laughter]
- Oh, ho, so Julien was that kind of kid.
- The worst, right? - The worst.
I totally get why you tried to kill him.
- I never tried to kill him.
- Oh, right. Right.
- Like at all. - Okay.
- I'll be--I'll be right out.
[dramatic music]
- Hope. - [gasps]
- What are you doing here?
- I'm here to take the woman I love.
My woman.
- I prayed for this moment.
- Bo still loves Hope!
[laughs]
- Honey.
I need you to take over the business.
- What? - Just temporarily.
The slimy FBI put a ankle ring on me to track me like a dog,
so I can't work while my court case is pending.
- Have you talked to Herman about this?
- Who? - Your white lawyer.
- Yes, yes. He agrees.
While I'm dealing with the trial,
I need you to make sure everything runs smoothly.
If anything jeopardizes this business,
Greg Yao wins.
- But-- - Hold on.
"Days" is back.
- You're not gonna marry Welch.
I'm not gonna let that happen. - Stop me.
- ♪ Where have all the good men gone? ♪
♪ And where are all
- I knew he'd stop the wedding.
- Maybe Rocky should get a motorcycle.
[TV turns off]
- Running the business will be easy.
You oversee the Saturday matches
and the Backyard Brawl-B-Q live event.
- But I've never done anything like this.
I can't just come in and run the--
- Yes, you can.
You've been by my side the whole time.
The business is in your blood.
- That's true.
I have watched you and dad do this my entire life.
Okay.
I'll do it. [laughs]
- Good. And remember.
When the wrestlers come and tell you ideas
about their persona,
just say, "I'll think about it."
And then never think about it.
.
- My mom gave me the breakdown of this Saturday's matches
and they're basically the same as last week's.
- Hey, it's a well-oiled machine.
You got this, babe. You're gonna do great.
- I'm talking Pan-Am, right?
You gotta get in there. I'm on that Nasdaq--
- Okay, everyone, let's all take a seat
and get started.
[indistinct chatter]
Sheik, are you looking for the bathroom?
- No. I'm giving myself a tour.
- Let's just all stay in the living room.
- Hey, man, pass this coffee to Randy?
- Yeah, got you, brother.
- Yeah.
- That's for you.
- Ooh, yeah.
Great coffee, Tone.
- Welcome, boss.
- Hey.
I made that coffee, man.
- Sorry, brother.
It's nice. - Thank you.
Was that so hard?
- Okay, let's get to business.
Um, as you know, I'm temporarily taking over
for my mom while she handles her legal issues.
Uh, so let's go through Saturday's match.
- Ata? - Yes, Sika?
- I've an idea I wanna try called "Touched by a Ghost."
[all oohing]
See, I dye my hair all white.
Either I'm a ghost or I'm a warrior
who fought ghosts and survived, but I paid a price.
My white hair.
I always carry the mark.
- [whistles] - That's deep.
- Okay, well, maybe--
- And I was also thinking,
I know I'm super strong and all,
but what if I had a weakness,
and that weakness was feet?
- Women's feet! - You know what, Tony?
I thi-- - What if I ate some bad beans
and magically become smart?
[wrestlers talking indistinctly]
- You know what?
These are great ideas.
How 'bout we all write them down
and I'll think about it?
- I-- - Bob has pens and paper.
[wrestlers talking excitedly] - I write them--
I'm already taking notes.
Um, hey, that's my pad, okay?
That has a personal message from a lady on it, okay?
That's a note from my mother.
Please, that's from my mother!
[bell dings]
- Just ignore him, baby.
It doesn't matter what this Julien kid thinks.
- Except it does.
Kids are starting to believe him.
- Well, fine, then I'll just come to school
with you tomorrow and show him my stretch marks.
[loud slam] - Uh, you know what?
I think I'm good.
[percussive music] - Mr. Fuji.
Again with the salt to the eyes.
[bell dings] - Look who's back.
It's Desdemona!
Jake "The Snake" adds insult to injury.
- Now that my mom was in charge,
she saw the wrestling matches in a new light.
And all she could think about were ways to improve them.
- He body-presses Valentine!
His signature move. [body thuds on platform]
[bell dinging]
Tony pins Greg Valentine. - Yeah!
- And the Soul Patrol wins again.
- Dad!
- Ata. [laughs]
- Pat! - It's so good to see you.
- Oh. - [laughs]
[smooching]
- So good to see you.
You remember my son, Dewey?
- Oh, look at this little man.
He reminds me so much of Peter.
One day, you will be a champ.
Huh? Like your father.
And your grandfather, hmm?
It is in your blood. You understand?
- Pat was right. It was in my blood.
And I knew what I needed to do.
[dramatic music]
And so did my mom.
- Why are you looking at the guys' suggestions?
You're not actually considering their ideas?
- [laughs] Their ideas aren't great.
But they're not wrong to want to do something different.
Doesn't it feel like we keep repeating the same thing?
- I feel like I am.
Babe, I do all that selling.
Tony gets the hot tag and the big finish.
And that's what the people remember.
It's crazy.
I do 99% of the work and he gets all the glory.
I mean, we're both tag team champ--
[eerie music]
Where's my belt?
♪
- Oh, my God.
[upbeat music]
- Whoa.
- Is that the WWF Tag Team belt?
- Yep. Yo, Julien?
Just thought I'd wear a belt to school today.
My dad's championship belt. kids: Whoa.
- Did you also get one of these at a meet-and-greet?
- No.
- Huh, so how do you think I got it then?
[crowd oohing]
- I guess Rocky Johnson really is your dad.
- And don't forget it.
- But it's not like it's your belt.
[crowd oohing] - Say what?
- You didn't win it.
You're not a wrestler.
- Not yet.
But I will be.
It's in my blood.
- Oh, yeah?
[tense music]
Prove it.
- Let's take this to the yard.
[kids oohing]
.
- Great work on Saturday's matches.
- I mean, I just executed your vision.
- Exactly.
Here's a breakdown for next weekend.
And this week you have to do the "Wrestling Roundup"
on the "Terry and the Fake Chief Show."
- This is the same as last week.
And the week before.
Mr. Fuji's throwing salt again. - No, see?
He's throwing salt in Sergeant Slaughter's eyes.
- But why is he throwing salt at all?
- Because he wants to win.
- I mean, what's his backstory?
Was he a failed chef?
Did critics say his food was too bland,
which caused his restaurant to close,
and now he just carries salt with him wherever he goes?
- No, he just throws it because he has it.
- Maybe we could create more history for these guys.
Get fans even more invested in the story lines.
It's like "Days of Our Lives."
Every soap character has a backstory.
A betrayal.
A secret twin. A hidden love child.
And we eat it up.
We could be doing the same thing with wrestling.
- Wrestling's never been more popular.
Why change it?
- It's not changing it.
It's just building on what's already there.
I really think we've got a chance to--
- You know what? I'll think about it.
[radio turns on] - Fresh-brewed coffee
will brighten up your day. Start your morning with a...
[school bell rings]
[funky music]
- ♪ Whoo [ladder rattling]
- All right, this is the classic ladder match.
First person to climb up the ladder
and get the belt wins!
[cheers and applause]
Which will be me.
[crowd oohing]
- This is the wrestling ring.
We can't go outside these lines.
Nothing to the face or nuts for obvious reasons.
Here, read this.
- In this corner, weighing in at 91 1/2 pounds,
future wrestler and undisputed son of Rocky Johnson,
Dewey Douglas Johnson! [cheers and applause]
- And in the other corner, Montana Julien.
[brief cheering] - I'm from Minnesota.
- Let's have a clean match.
Ding, ding, ding! [cheering]
[dramatic music] - Ow! What the--
[cheering] - Go, Dewey!
- You can do it!
[crowd shouting]
- Get--ugh! [ladder rattles]
- Oh.
- Yes! [cheers and applause]
[crowd gasps] - Whoa.
[ladder clatters]
- Come help your champion!
So I beat him in a schoolyard match,
and that's what he means by "I tried to kill him."
- He's the one who pushed the ladder out from under you.
- And there I was, dangling from that tree
all because I let that little punk
get underneath my skin.
When really, he was just jealous
and wanted to knock me down a peg.
He had nothing to lose, everything to gain.
Just like now. - Totally.
And now you have the much thicker skin.
- And there's no way I'd let that happen to me now.
- So what happened after the fight?
- Well, the school called my parents
and I got into a lot of trouble.
- Mm, for starting a fight?
- No, for stealing the janitor's ladder.
He got stuck up on the roof for a couple of hours.
[laughter]
- Someone call my wife.
- Hi, honey.
It's me, your wife, Mrs. Janitor.
[laughter] - My wife's name is Gloria.
Just bring me my ladder.
Hey, hey!
Stop throwing nuts.
[victorious music]
- And I wasn't the only one in the family
who let someone get under their skin.
- So today, we're talking to some very special guests,
the WWF Tag Team champions, Tony Atlas and Rocky Johnson.
So guys, you've both got great charisma, great bodies.
Rocky, you're a workhorse.
You got moves on moves.
- Hey, thank you, Terry.
You know, I really like-- - But Tony,
you come into the ring.
[laughing] And you lift the guy over your head.
And that's it. You only have the one move.
And the audience is eating out of your hand.
- I know. That's all I gotta do.
[laughs]
- So you're taking on Rowdy Roddy Piper
and George "The Animal" Steele
at the Backyard Brawl-B-Q.
What can we expect from the Soul Patrol?
- Well, um, whatever it is,
I'm sure it will involve me doing 99% of the work
and Tony lifting a guy at the end.
["Dun, dun, dun" beats] - [laughs]
Do I sense some tension here?
- Yeah. What's up, Rock?
You mad at me,
or did you get up on the wrong side of the waterbed?
For the finest waterbeds,
check out King Titan's Luxury Goods.
- No, I'm not mad.
I'm just speaking the truth.
I start the match, grind our opponents down.
Then you come in at the very end
and get the pin.
Rocky does the work.
Tony gets the credit.
- Well, I don't know about you, Terry,
but I'm sensing some trouble in paradise.
- Why don't we take a break
and give these two time to cool off?
In the meantime, we're taking your calls.
[dark tense music]
- That was amazing.
You guys played that perfectly.
- Oh, Sidney Poitier over here.
That was some great acting, Rock.
I totally bought it. - Thanks, Tone.
You weren't too bad yourself there.
- Because my mom loved soap operas,
she understood that the best story lines
always came from a kernel of truth.
[lines ringing] - Wow.
The phone lines are blowing up.
- Looks like the fans are buying it too.
- [laughs] - This tension
is gonna get everyone invested in your match at the Brawl-B-Q.
I'm planning something big for you guys.
- I've got Lia on Line 2?
She wants to know what the hell is going on.
- Integrating out-of-the-ring drama
was something that would eventually become
a fixture in the world of pro wrestling.
My mom and a few other visionaries,
they were well ahead of their time.
But she still had her challenges ahead of her.
- Hm. - So, hey.
We had the team do some digging on this Julien guy.
He's a real piece of work.
- He's a chiropractor with two stars on Yelp,
divorced, one son.
He's been banned from the Olive Garden
for complaining too much.
And apparently he has tweeted about you
every day since you announced you were running for president.
[all chuckle]
- Uh, "Who actually knows if The Rock loves America?"
- Oh. - [laughs]
Uh, "How do we know he's not on steroids?"
[laughter] - Ooh.
"No way that was him singing in 'Moana.'"
[laughter] - My favorite.
- [strained laugh]
Well, that's been a nice, fun trip down memory lane.
I have an interview to prep for.
- [laughs]
Uh, oh, it's a kitten video.
"The Rock hates kittens." Of course, yeah.
[mysterious music]
♪
[dramatic beat]
- I think that's a good idea.